Palau Aggressor II Captain's Logs

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Palau Aggressor II Captain’s Report August 25 – September 1, 2013

Air temp: 82-87F
Water temp: 83-86F
Crew: Ike, Hector, Ben, Jim, Len, Adam, Cameron

On Monday morning we left the dock bright and early with our wonderful guests and equally wonderful weather. After breakfast we delivered our dive deck briefing that clarified for guests how our diving for the week would be conducted and then we went to the Teshio Maru for our check out dive. On this dive we explored the wreckage through them many holds and holes punched into the ship with great visibility. We found a multitude of cardinal and butterfly fishes along with many unique corals. Along the sandy bottom we spotted signal gobies and a ringed pipefish. We travelled along the deck of the massive wreck and past the bow gun we found a juvenile sweetlips. We continued on and dove around the massive kingposts and on one of them observed a large tomato anemone. Along the dive we also marveled at a large tightly knit school of jacks and the unusual bubble coral found on this wreck, as well as artifacts such as bottles. When the dive was over we met up with the big boat and enjoyed a Mexican food lunch and made our way to Ulong. After lunch we briefed our guests on how to use their reef hooks and then we took them to their first hook in dive at Siaes Corner. We travelled along the wall mesmerized by the schools of butterfly fish, fusiliers and snapper. When we made it to the hook in area we met by a fantastic parade of grey reef and white tip sharks. After watching the show for a bit we unhooked and explored the coral garden plateau where we found bumphead parrotfish, large turtles, nudibranchs and the skittish flame angelfish. For our last dive of the day we went to Ulong Channel and explored the channel inside out with a soft current, which allowed for exploration of the channel and densely packed coral gardens full of tropical reef fish. We then returned to the big boat and celebrated one of our guest’s 100th dive and followed up the celebration with a fantastic dinner and a documentary on marine life in the pacific before retiring for the evening.

On Tuesday morning we awoke in front of beautiful Ulong Island and after breakfast we set out on our first dive of the day at Ulong Channel. We had several unique sightings on this dive including a blue-girdled angelfish, horned ray, a large school of bonito, and a lemon shark at the back of the channel. Our next dive took us to Siaes Tunnel where we explored the deep overhead environment as well as the adjoining wall. Inside the tunnel we viewed decorated dart fish, pygmy blue back angelfish, and an exciting discovery of harlequin shrimp. Outside on the wall we found nudibranchs, turtles, some grey reef sharks and spent time on top of the plateau with schools of anthias and oriental sweetlips. We then headed to the big boat for a lunch of BBQ chicken and pulled pork. During lunch we moved the big boat to a mooring just outside of German Channel and made our third dive at Ngemelis Wall. We drifted along the wall peacefully observing beautiful corals and we found several long nose hawkfish as well as turtle and grey reef shark. Our next dive took us to New Drop Off. We had low current to begin with, so we lazily explored the wall and plateau above. While we snapped photos of sleeping turtles, anemones and more anemones, the current’s power began to build and we had a nice show of grey reef sharks gliding between schools of pyramid butterfly fish and red tooth triggerfish. We then returned to the big boat and enjoyed a dinner of flank and tuna steaks. Then some of our guests went for the night dive at Ngemelis Wall, while others viewed a documentary on the battle for Peleliu during WWII. Our night divers found a large turtle passing along the wall in the shadows, shrimps and crabs, and towards the end of the dive we found a crocodile fish, spot fin lionfish, small moray eel and a leaf scorpion fish. We then went to bed in anticipation for the next day.

Wednesday we began early by firing up the big boat and moving down to Peleliu while the weather was nice and the swells were moderate. After tying up the big boat in the sheltered lagoon we had breakfast and prepared for our first dive of the day at the famous Peleliu Corner. We travelled along the wall and encountered large schools of snapper as we approached our hook in area on the outgoing side of the corner know as D’Cut. We travelled along the wall and had an encounter with a spotted eagle ray and after being hooked in we experienced a moderate-strong current that brought us several grey reef sharks of varying size. We also experienced the bumphead parrotfish slamming their reinforced foreheads together to assert dominance. The giant trevally were also a bit ornery and chased each other around. We then unhooked and travelled across the massive plateau observing palate surgeonfish and grouper. After this dive some of guests went on a land tour to soak in the history of the battle that took place there during World War II while the rest went diving at Orange Beach. On this dive we viewed artifacts from the war, large turtles, schools of jacks and we were fortunate to find a crocodile fish. We then had a BBQ lunch and went to West Wall for dive number three. Here our divers went through a small swim through out onto the wall and found creatures such as scorpion fish, nudibranchs and flatworms, schools of snappers and a multitude of turtles. For our last dive of the daylight hours we went to Barrack’s Point. Here we observed many turtles, various types of angelfish, giant clams and nudibranchs. We then returned to the big boat for dinner and set out to Turtle Cove for our night dive. We travelled along the wall observing soft corals and basket stars before an encounter with a white tip shark and then we went to a special place in the wall that houses paddle fin cardinal fish. We then continued on observing crabs and shrimp before we moved on top the wall in the shallows where we found lionfish and two of the enormous cousins of nudibranchs, the pluerobranch. One of the specimens was large enough to cover a Thanksgiving Day turkey platter! We returned to the big boat elated with the dive and chatted about what we saw on the dive before settling in for bed, absolutely elated with day.

Thursday we began the morning with a dive at Blue Corner and were fortunate to see both sides of the corner in one dive to the half moon pulling in water from both sides. We travelled over the plateau and played with our napoleon wrasse as well as observing barracuda, red tooth triggerfish, and pyramid butterfly fish. For our second dive we went to German Channel and after we stopped by the red anemone for photo ops we picked out macro life such as bulldozer shrimp and their companion gobies, blennies, dragonets, and twin spot signal gobies. We also watched unicorn fish courting and came across a few white tip reef sharks. We then returned to the big boat for a very satisfying lunch of meatloaf and Buffalo wings, afterwards we went for a dive at Turtle Cove. We traveled along the beautiful wall covered in soft corals and sea fans watching schools of square spot anthias, pyramid butterfly fish and then as we neared the corner we had large schools of black snapper, chub, a couple of grey reef sharks and turtles, of course. On top of the plateau we also found an octopus. We returned to the big boat for a dinner of pork tenderloin and baked basa before setting out on our night dive at German Coral Garden. Here we had sleeping turtles, moray eels, lionfish and many shrimp crabs and lobster. Once we returned to the big boat, our guests spent the rest of the evening socializing and watching performances recorded from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Friday morning we made our first dive at Blue Corner. The outgoing current carried us gently along the wall to our hook in area where we viewed sharks, king mackerel, and giant trevally until we sensed the current was going to switch to incoming so we travelled over the plateau among the many species of fish also making their way to the same destination. We hooked back in on the incoming side just as the current became strong and gave a fantastic show of sharks, jacks and red tooth triggerfish. Our next dive was at Virgin Blue Hole. We entered the chimney and found many nudibranchs, as well as scorpion fish and vast amounts of tropicals. We returned to the boat for a wonderful salad bar lunch and rested a little while before our next dive at Blue Holes. The ambient lighting was superb as we entered the four skylights and descended into the massive cavern. Inside we viewed dart fish, hermit crabs, nudibranchs and a hiding grouper. We then left the chamber and cruised along the beautiful wall all the way to the outgoing side of Blue Corner and hooked in again to enjoy one more show at this wonderful site. For our last dive of the day we went to Dexter’s Wall. As we first descended along the wall we passed through a massive school of black snapper and later found nudibranchs, scorpionfish, anemones and a black crocodile fish. We ended up changing directions on the wall along with the current and were carried passed a turtle and then a massive school of yellow snapper. There were literally thousands of the fish from the very shallows down to 80 feet and the experience was quite surreal. After our last dive of the day we made our way back to the big boat for an amazing dinner of prime rib, shrimp cocktail and ravioli topped off by peanut butter ice cream cake. The rest of the evening was spent enjoying time with our guests and looking over some of the photos they had been capturing throughout the week.

We started off this Saturday morning casting off the anchor and heading towards Jellyfish Lake where our guests enjoyed a peaceful snorkel with millions of golden stingless jellies. After this, we took our guests on a tour of the Rock Islands while they snapped photos from the boat and paused for photo ops in front of the famous arch. After this wonderful experience we headed to Chandelier Caves and explored the beautiful air chambers inside. Outside of the cave we explored the shallows and found mandarin fish for them to take photos of, as well as twin spot signal gobies and a baby banded sea crate. It was a wonderful way to cap off the week and the diverse diving offered in Palau. We returned to the vessel for a filling lunch and our guests spent the rest of their day exploring the local sights before returning to the vessel where Ben presented his slide show for our guests to see all of the lovely photos he took of them, and we reflected on the week. In the morning we wished our wonderful guests farewell anxious for their return to Palau.
 
Palau Aggressor II Captain’s Report Sept 1 – 8, 2013

Air temp: 82-85F
Water temp: 82-84F
Crew: Ike, Hector, Cameron, Steve, Andy, Jim, Len

Sunday - It’s a beautiful sunny afternoon and the Aggressor crew is getting excited about the upcoming week. Andy and Jim head out to round up another group of divers and some make their own way to the boat. Previous week’s guest Jay stayed onboard as he enjoyed last week so much he decided to stay another week. Once the cabin orientation was complete and everybody’s dive gear was assembled, then upstairs we go to feast on the first of Chef Cameron’s many great meals. A scrumptious display of tender pork loin and succulent chicken with shrimp cocktail was on the buffet. After dinner Steve explained the safety features of the vessel and highlighted the itinerary.

Monday - The Palau Aggressor makes a short journey over the harbour to the Helmet Wreck. This is our check out dive allowing everyone a relaxing location to acclimatize themselves back into the water and adjust their weights for week. The wreck is littered with artifacts and war memorabilia, as it has not been salvaged yet. It is also home to very interesting macro life including twin spot gobies, pipefish, and several species of nudibranchs. The second dive took us further out of the Malakal area and to the Iro Maru. This massive Japanese oil freighter was set on fire after being struck by a torpedo and it now sits upright in around one hundred feet of water. On the ship between the king posts we find a swirling school of horse eye jacks. As we are diving Captain Ike is relocating the vessel closer towards German Channel and after the dive Jim takes us through the rock Islands to catch up with the big boat. The dive after lunch is at Turtle Cove with almost endless visibility. The soft corals on this wall are just spectacular and on top of the plateau Andy finds the group a leaf scorpionfish blending into the background. The last dive of the day and we head over to Big Drop Off. With a mild current negating the need for swimming, we drift along the sheer wall with the afternoon sun fading in the background. In the shallows Jim finds a ghost pipefish and some rare nudibranchs. After a dinner of crispy pork chops, Andy explains why we handed out reef hooks to everybody when they checked in.

Tuesday - Those up early enough witnessed a beautiful sunrise over the rock Islands, a good sign for a great day of diving. Blue Holes was up first with the sun beaming through the four holes in the plateau creating an angelic scene in the chamber. The disco clams are always a favorite here too. Once outside, the current has picked up a little and we approach the hook in area at the corner. Along the way we pass a contingent of grey sharks, a huge dogtooth tuna, and an army of barracuda. We hook in and enjoy more of the same. For the second dive we drift along Fern’s Wall. The clear water and the lack of effort make this very enjoyable. After some pulled pork sandwiches for lunch we return to Blue Corner and experience the incoming current. A truly amazing dive was experienced by all. Reef sharks coming so close you could almost reach out and touch them, napoleon wrasse coming in closer so that you actually could touch them. Additionally we spot schools of jacks trying to avoid the sharks, barracuda lurking in the background, and turtles checking us out. The last dive of the day and we choose Ngedebus Corner, or “nudibranch corner” with Ike and Jim finding three different varieties. There were also turtle and stonefish to choose from. The night dive after dinner was a pleasant drift around Turtle Cove where finding a juvenile African pompano got Joan excited afterwards.

Wednesday - A smooth early morning trip south to Peleliu with dolphins playing on the bow wake. The island was once the setting for a ferocious battle during the Second World War, but is now more famous for some amazing dive sites. The first dive at Peleliu Corner can have the potential for some seriously strong current. This morning however we were able to relax and enjoy the wall as we cruised along. There were a couple of inquisitive turtles and several reef sharks keeping an eye on the proceedings. We hooked in for a short time then went to explore the plateau. The group then split as some of our guests went to enjoy the tour of the island taking in some the memorabilia and a visit to the museum. Those staying for the second dive were certainly not disappointed with Orange Beach. Once we reunited and enjoyed lunch, then West Wall provided a beautiful relaxing drift dive. Barracks Point was the last dive today with green turtles, giant clams, and a scorpion fish. The sighting of a cuttlefish makes those who didn’t go green with envy. After the dive we returned to our mooring at German Channel eager to start another day.

Thursday - Virgin Blue Hole gets penetrated first thing, a break in the reef leading into a cavern around eighty feet deep leads out to the wall. The natural light with divers descending makes for some spectacular images. On the wall we turn right as this lead to Canyons, where the scenery is outstanding. There is plenty to explore here and the dive ends with an extended safety stop on the plateau around fifteen feet. New Drop Off before lunch and now the incoming current has picked up. We drop in the blue water as to avoid the surface current. On the way to the hook in area we pass several reef sharks and a hawksbill turtle. During the hook in a large school of barracuda don’t seem to mind the company. Mexican for lunch then it's back to Blue Corner. The marine display is just fantastic this afternoon. Grey reef sharks hanging effortlessly in the current. Schools of Jacks swirling around and the napoleon wrasse stealing the show at the end. German Channel was up next. The natural channel funnels in nutrients, which bring with it the plankton. This starts the food chain. Three huge manta rays feeding in the plankton certainly was the highlight of this dive. Not disturbed by divers while they are feeding the manta rays really are a sight to behold. The night dive took us to Ngemelis Wall where we found several types of nudibranch a turtle and an army of shrimp.

Friday - With liquid sunshine falling from the sky in the early morning Ike makes the journey towards Ulong Island. We start the day with Siaes Tunnel. The entrance to the tunnel seems to be guarded by two schools of jacks but they are a little deep. In the tunnel we find pygmy angelfish, disco clams, a large nudibranch and three types of dart fish. The second dive is Siaes Corner where the slack current allows us to traverse the corner and discover its hidden delights. An octopus is perhaps the highlight of the dive. After lunch with the current now incoming Ulong Channel is the crew favorite. A three-part dive consisting of a wall dive, a hook dive, and then the channel itself. This dive has it all. Grey sharks come right up. Black tips glide on by. Tuna and giant trevally hunt the schools of scad and jacks. Once we unhook the current sweeps us down the channel. Here there are so many grouper you almost need an abacus to count them. A large patch of lettuce coral with its resident big eye squirrelfish swing on past. This leads us to the two giant clams covered in soft coral and just a real pleasure to find. This dive is so good we did it again to take advantage of the currents. This time we were on the other side of the entrance enjoying the reef sharks and as the current slackened we were able to explore more of the channel, as it zipped past.

Saturday - We pulled up the anchor and moved the big boat away from Ulong and closer to Jellyfish Lake. The skiff was lowered into the water and we were off. We pulled up to the dock on the outside of the lake and started the climbing over the hill to the lake. Everyone always enjoys snorkeling with the millions of jellyfish. Palau is the only place in the world with the golden jellyfish and it’s truly a majestic place. The jellyfish are not alone in the lake without predators, while heading back to the dock we ventured through the shallow areas around the lake to see the anemones that are eating the jellyfish. After the lake we went on the rock island tour. The skiff weaved in and out of the rock islands that make up Palau. We stopped at Palau’s natural arch for a photo opp. and continued on to meet the big boat back in Malakal Harbor. The bell soon rang for our last dive of the charter, we went to Chandelier Caves. The divers surfaced in each of the 4 air chambers to see the beautiful lime stone formations. Then after leaving the fourth chamber, some divers turned off their dive lights and when their eyes adjusted to the dark, could see the ambient light filtering in through the entrance of the cave, it made for a beautiful sight and seeing the reflections of the stalagmites as they pierced the surface of the water above. Outside the cave, a shallow muck dive looking for razor fish, nudi’s, signal gobies, and other macro life. We jumped on the skiff for the last ride back to the big boat. When we arrived everyone started to wash their dive gear and hang it dry. It was a great week of diving off the islands of Palau.

---------- Post added September 25th, 2013 at 10:51 AM ----------

Palau Aggressor II Captain’s Report Sept 8 – 15, 2013

Water temp: 84 F
Air temp: 86 F
Crew: Capt Marc, Steve, Cameron, Joe, Andy, and Len

Sunday to start off our charter we were joined by our guests Sunday afternoon. They checked in, and were orientated with their rooms and immediately began assembling their dive gear excited for the charter to begin. They were treated to dinner by Chef Cameron and then relaxed in the main salon while Capt. Marc gave his safety briefing and orientated our guests to the rest of the vessel. Afterwards our guests continued to set up their camera equipment and gear and shared stories, all excited for the morning to come and to get in the beautiful waters of Palau.

Monday - The crew of the Aggressor is up nice and early to make the journey to Ulong Island to begin the week with some fantastic diving. On the way Chef Cameron serves up a scrumptious breakfast and afterwards Andy adds some humor to the dive deck briefing. The check out dive is Sandy Paradise where we have protection from any current to allow us the chance to check our weights and get acclimated to the beautiful warm waters. The second dive is Ulong Coral Gardens. Hard and soft corals as far as the eye can see. After lunch we dive Siaes Corner. This dive starts with one of the most beautiful walls and then at the corner we are able to hook in. Ulong Channel, which is a crew favorite, was a great way to end the day. A three-part dive consisting of a wall dive, then the hook in section, followed by the channel itself. We are treated to a shark display, some jacks hunting and a giant trevally. After dinner and after such a great day of diving everybody retires early.

Tuesday - Taking advantage of the incoming current an encore dive at Ulong Channel was called for. The sharks were back to show off and the school of jacks too. The current slacked near the end of the dive so we were able to explore more of the reef. We passed a barramundi, a moray eel, and a turtle. The next dive brings us to Siaes Tunnel this marvelous dive begins with a school of jacks almost blocking the entrance. Once inside there are nudibranchs climbing the wall and dart fish in the sand and one of the highlights is the pygmy blue back angelfish. This elusive fish is normally way down deep but can sometimes be found here. After the dive we moved the Aggressor to German Channel in preparation for the afternoon dives. The first of which was Ngemelis Wall. A sheer wall adorned with huge sea fans and wire coral. There are plenty of nooks and crannies to explore to. The highlight being a scorpion fish perched on a ledge. There were several green turtles and white tip sharks cruising past too. German Channel was the next dive before dinner. With the natural channel filtering in nutrients with the tide there is plenty of pelagic action for us to behold. Andrei and Sally were also lucky enough to spot a huge a manta above the cleaning station. The night dive was a relaxing jaunt along Ngemelis Wall where several crabs and nudibranchs were spotted.

Wednesday - Perfect conditions for the trip south to Peleliu some dolphins arrive at 0600 to play in the bow wake and check on our course. The Pacific and the Philippine Sea collide here at the Corner, which is our first dive of the day. The current was strong and made this dive quite an experience. After the dive, half the group went ashore with Marc for the land tour and the other half enjoyed a dive at Barracks Point. The current was still strong and allowed Andy and the group to cover quite a distance over the expansive coral garden. After lunch we returned to Barracks Point, and the current had mellowed. This time we were able to stop and photograph several nudibranchs, also along the way we stopped to marvel at several giant clams. The last dive of the day took us to Orange Beach and lucky for us the current was back. We were propelled all the way to West Wall. We gave up counting the number of turtles we passed. The night dive was Turtle Cove where the splendor of the color highlighted by the light made this a favorite.

Thursday - Blue Corner was the first dive site for today and we dove the incoming side. Right off the bat we had a hawksbill turtle gently cruising the wall oblivious to the large jack it almost ran over. We continued on and passed through red tooth triggerfish, fusiliers and split a large school of black snapper once we hooked in we had a terrific shark parade. Grey reef after grey reef shark passed followed by the occasional small group of white tip sharks. The second dive was Turtle Cove beginning down the hole in the plateau we started with a slight current as we marveled at the vibrant colors of the wall. As the name suggest several turtles also accompanied us too. For our third dive we went to New Drop Off where we hooked in and watched a show of grey reef sharks and white tips as well as schooling barracuda and red tooth triggerfish. Our passengers also were able to obtain some fantastic photos of sleeping turtles. The last night dive for this week was Alexi’s Coral Garden. A great location for spotting twin spot lionfish and a million little red shrimp hiding with the stag horn coral.

Friday - With the sun rising over the Rock Islands we set of for Blue Holes at six o’clock. Unfortunately the current was still incoming fortunately Blue Corner was available. We had another tremendous dive at the corner. Sharks everywhere with schools of jacks swarming around. The napoleon wrasse trying to steal the show. For the second dive and getting there before the crowds, we dive German Channel again. Another great dive with extremely clear water we started from the Peleliu side and traversed the channel in the opposite direction. We didn’t spot any manta rays this time but that didn’t detract from the enjoyment of the dive, ending with a nice relaxing drift down the channel. The outgoing current made Blue Holes our choice. The disco clams impressed the group, as did the wall as we drifted along effortlessly with the current again. With the sun setting we chose Fern’s Wall with turtles, grey sharks and nudibranchs and a lionfish. This was a great way to end the day. After the dive we set of to the rock islands in preparation for the trip to Jellyfish Lake tomorrow. A feast of prime rib served up by Chef Cameron fills everybody up before Marc shows the video of the week, starring all the guests.

Saturday - With the birds chirping, we set off early so that we may have Jellyfish Lake to ourselves. There, we found millions of pink jellyfish ceaselessly parading from one side of the green-watered lake to the other, chasing the sun’s path, with us in the middle of it all. A long snorkel later, it was back onto the skiff for Joe’s Rock Island tour. With his local knowledge we navigated the shallow waters surrounding the picturesque islands and soaked up the sun and sights of Palau! After this wonderful experience we headed to Chandelier Caves and explored the beautiful air chambers inside. Outside of the cave we explored the shallows and found mandarin fish for the guests to take photos of. It was a wonderful way to cap off the week and the diverse diving offered in Palau. We returned to the vessel for a filling lunch and our guests spent the rest of their day exploring the local sights before returning to the vessel where Andy presented his slide show for our guests to see all of the lovely photos he took of them during the week.
 
Hi,
I am looking into booking a trip (my first on a live aboard) in oct in Palau.
What is the difference between 7 days and 10 days trip?

I have some problems with motion sickness, how is the swell during the oct period ?

Hogge
 
Hi,
I am looking into booking a trip (my first on a live aboard) in oct in Palau.
What is the difference between 7 days and 10 days trip?
3 days

Early October is still considered to be part of typhoon season and swells will be larger on windy days. That said, weather can be very fickle in that part of the world. I've encountered big swells in the months of March and May. The Aggressor will find a calm spot to anchor each night and it travels well, but the run to Peleliu can be choppy. The skiff is large, not as subject to bouncing as the smaller day boats out of Koror. Take seasick meds with you just in case. I too suffer from occasional motion sickness, but I deal with it because I love liveaboard diving. Hopefully you will too.
 
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